Kain
for this contest. |-| Notices = takes place in this timeline! pridian is the new name for pyrrhia in this au, so please don't think that this is a different continent! |-| Kain = Looks *warm medium brown main scales *darker shade of main scales lines his spine and the top of his face *underbelly is a lighter shade of brown than main scales *orange photophores under scales along neck from minor seawing genes. also a line of the same orange photophores on his face *blood is a dark orange-red *super dark brown "mane". is like sandwing ridge, but floppier. *dark brown dragon wings (base is tufted with the same material that makes up his ridge) *usually wears a black leather jacket with The Empire's symbol on it *also wears; fingerless gloves on his front legs, a leather toolbelt with satchels/pockets for weapons + tools *occasionally wears white wrap on his legs (like bandages) (is constantly getting hurt from his job) *small. is babey. Acts *introverted, hot-headed, holds grudges *hardly trusts anyone and if he does trust someone, it's forever. that someone can break him and abuse him but he'll keep trusting that dragon. the only way to break his trust would be lots of negative actions over immense time, or the trusted dragon hurting another trusted dragon of his. then he snaps, and will do anything to dispose of them *he might be small but he's very smart and dangerous. hostility 8.5/10 and lethality 9/10 Bio Groveling in the city streets and taking pickings from garbage bins was the first few years of Kain's life. His parents were both killed in another of The Rebellion's defeats. He hardly remembered them. A dragon of his age - or even younger - would often find himself tripping over offers to join one side or other in the war that took place during his time, dragons shoving their faces infront of your, begging for his help with fake tears streaming from their ducts and blades clutched behind their backs, ready to rid Pridian of you if you didn't accept their promotional offer. The place would be impossible to mind your own business in. So when Kain was offered to support The Empire's society as an assassin, there was no option but to accept. He was only a dragonet. So young, the decision was chosen through a haze of confusion and the will to survive. Even as he voluntarily flew to The Empire's realm, he could feel the air under his wings of the escorts who followed behind him carrying the deadliest of weapons if he decided to change his mind or try anything. His training at The Empire's technologically-advanced dominion was rough and sometimes borderline fatal. He was pushed to the limits where full-grown dragons would try their hardest to sink their claws in between his scales or through his underbelly and draw blood. Some would view him as just a gnat in their way from being the top assassin, and conspire with each other to poison or flay him in his trainings. Kain spent nights hiding in the pipes of electric mills or covered by crates that formerly held scraps of metal. And in none of those times did he get any sleep. Kain would have been long gone if it weren't for Cal. Cal was an ambitious dragon with the one goal to once rise to the throne of the vanguardian-esque Empire. Even if he had no relation to the leader, Adaigo, citizens instantly took a liking to him due to his phenomenal skillset; fast, agile, strong, cunning, and incredibly smart. If only they had all realized that Kain was his equal in ability. But Cal saw that in him, which led the highly-ranked dragon to offer Kain a position by his side when he would finish occupying the throne. Adaigo was a well-respected leader. But Kain and Cal were quicker than the time it took for Adaigo to process that the assassination was coming. That one memorable clear night, the night when The Empire would be changed forever, was when the dark red pool of blood was found in the light of one new and two full moons. Just beyond that were splatters of the same liquid which the soldiers followed and found his body, dismembered, parts missing, and torn to pieces. No one knew who it was; even with the advanced technology of talonprint scanners, the evidence had been removed. A week later, Cal rose to the throne. His votes had skyrocketed, leaving any experienced dragons behind in the dust, fuming that a 13 scavenger-year dragonet had surpassed them. But Kain was there with Cal, ready to get rid of any challenger. So Cal had reached his goal. But simple power over the largest side in the continent-wide war wasn't enough. He doubled the population of his armies sent to battle The Resistance and increased the number of spies by 350 percent to search for The Hope's hideout. The Empire's citizens were pushed to their hardest since the beginning of Adaigo's reign. Cal also began to grow intolerant of Kain's hidden weaknesses that he only exposed to Cal himself, whom he considered his best friend and the only dragon he could trust. Cal's friendly actions morphed into manipulations and forms of abuse, to the point where Cal would inflict marks upon Kain's scales. Kain tried his hardest to convince himself that this would soon be over, but it only got worse. Five scavenger years had passed since Cal's reign. Both dragons were some of the best fighters in the war, so when Cal broke Kain's strings of patience one day, fed up with the abuse he'd been taking, Kain snapped and, unexpectedly, tore the entire left side of Cal's body and face to shreds. He kept biting and clawing and raking his claws down Cal's body, blinded by anger and the ear-splitting screams coming from his ex-best friend. Found in almost minutes due to the noise, guards found Kain and immobilized him with seven tranquilizer darts - after the first couple ceased to stop him -, then dragged him off to a different area in the district. Days passed, but Kain received no punishment. There was no sign of Cal either, or where his whereabouts were. Everyone knew he was still alive; orders were still being made through other government officials. Kain himself received a job to eliminate the son of Leukos, who was the leader of The Hope. Secret information was passed to Kain of The Hope's whereabouts, which he couldn't understand why it wasn't released to the public of The Empire. He also second-guessed himself of why he was still going along with Cal's orders, but nevertheless, Kain began to carry out his job. It took him a while to reach the island far off the coast of the Sky Kindgom named Adytum. The flight was cold, lonely, and sometimes dangerous when an occasional storm struck. However, when the skyscrapers came into view, his body instantly pulsed with energy, and he dipped down low to the water to avoid standing out in the sky. His darker scales mostly blended in with the almost pitch-black water, but as he began to get closer, he could see the lights of the underwater stations from under him, turning the water a medium shade of turquoise, so he picked up the pace, and, miraculously, avoided being seen by anyone. Avoiding any members or guards was hard enough. Every corner he turned, someone was there on guard. Kain noticed that, unlike in The Empire, the guards of Adytum were smiling, and softly chucking and talking with their partners while still paying attention to their surroundings. Feeling guilty, he laid off killing them, throwing a pebble overhead so it landed in the opposite hall to him, making the guards take after the noise so he could have time to weave in between places. He had to do this multiple times before he reached the room that was marked on the screen of his watch he carried with the coordinates of the target's location. But soon enough, there he was, standing in the doorway of a place he would never forget; The room’s cool light gray wallpaper was split with platinum veins with navy highlights. A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling, translucent white drapes sparkling with dark sapphires strung onto the handle. The floor was made of light marble tiles, and a carpet made of dull blue synthetic fibers covered the far side of the room. The walls were covered with posters and gadgets, many of which depicted Leukos or other formidable and renowned dragons from The Hope. A white bed tucked with dark blue sheets and white pillows was aligned with the wall on the left, and a desk sat on the right, topped with tools of all sorts, mainly technology such as digital maps or computers. All of these were running, to Kain’s surprise. He shifted uneasily. The target must be near. Large windows were inset into three sides of the room; the left and the right giant panes of clear glass that the resident could peer out of and see the whole outside; the clear blue sky, the seemingly infinite sea, and the buildings that ran along the coast.. The other was a stained glass mural depicting scenes of The Hope’s headquarters with dragons from all tribes flying over it. This was The Hope’s goal. To restore peace amongst all sides. Kain’s mind was seared with stinging, burning anger. The same kind that was present when he tore Cal apart. This was all he ever wanted; happiness, dragons to rely on, and a comfortable place to stay. And this dragon had received all of it. Not him. At that moment, a serious but intrigued voice sounded behind him. Kain, in his few seconds of stunned silence as he whipped around, saw a dark-scaled dragon with an inquisitive face and ice-blue eyes flecked with orange. He wore a dark blue and sunset-toned jacket adorned with patches and pins that signified completed challenged and alliances with groups. A pair of fancy glasses was tucked into a front pocket. His mouth was pressed into a line, but the corners kept turning up and down, like he was suppressing a smile. Of course this dragon lived in this room. Of course this dragon received everything Kain had ever wanted. And it made him furious. His claws were pressed into the dragon’s neck before they could speak. Dark blue blood stained his talons almost instantly, and began to drip onto the floor. Those icy eyes were wild with fear, but they soon turned into the paragon of determination, and strong back legs kicked Kain’s stomach, sending him flying across the room, knocking him into the crystal chandelier, crystal pieces flying everywhere with a crash. Kain found claws pressing him into the floor, and he became immobilized. “You’re one of those Empire rats, aren’t you?” The eyes weren’t friendly anymore. The words were spat out of his mouth like rotten prey. Kain snarled. “Like you’re side’s any better.” He wriggled out of the dragon’s grip, causing long, red welling scratches to be inflicted upon his back. Kain picked up a piece of the broken Chandelier, smudged with his own blood, and threw it at the stained glass window. It shattered into pieces, fragments cast upon the floor and other shards tumbling out of the new gaping hole. Blasting cold wind carried off from the ocean filled the room, temporarily causing the dragon to cover his eyes. Kain gripped the advantage and took off at the same time as guards began to fill the room, weapons drawn. Other guards began to fly up from below in pursuit of Kain. Kain thought the speed he was flying at must’ve been the fastest he’d ever managed. Faster than all the times he’d fled from his competitors at his young age. Faster than the speed he’d torn Cal to shreds at. Bolts of electricity and bullets shot at him in all directions. Some lodged themselves in Kain’s legs. Some bolts hit him with painful force, and his wings faltered for a second. But adrenaline kept him going. After hours of pursuit, he’d reached the mainland. After that, the distant shape of The Empire’s domain came into view. He tucked his wings in and dove to the buildings that he called his home. The Empire’s soldiers came from all the trees, clashing with the few that were chasing them. Due to being vastly outnumbered, all of the guards from The Hope dropped dead, their bodies falling from the sky. When Kain reached the ground, tumbling to his feet, and then slipping. His vision began to fade, black rushing in from all sides. The last thing that registered was an all to familiar face, though scarred, looking down at him in disgust. Something like a tongue-click of disappointment echoed in his ears, and then his eyes closed. Two days later, he woke up in another unfamiliar room, sitting in a cushioned chair. Dark steel walls, transparent purple screens filled with information. LED lighting. It all made his eyes hurt. “It’s a little sad, you're failure. Normally I’d dispose of my assassin after such an obvious defeat, but that wouldn’t be very nice coming from a best friend, would it?” Newfound anger overlapped his pain as he recognized the voice, but it was dissolved in another metaphorical pool of hurt. He turned his head turned slowly with pain to see Cal hovering above him. The ruined side of his body was replaced with artificial dark scales, which seemed to be smoking a small amount of purple vapor. Bright, glowing purple lines separate the fake from the real side. Even if half of it was fake, Cal’s menacing smirk was still the same. He pressed his talon sharply under Kain’s jaw, causing him to wince again. “I had our most experienced medical professionals work on you to get you fixed up,” Cal’s smile widened, dark purple smoke curling in around the space between them. “One of them tried to murder you by performing the wrong procedured delibrately, but lucky I was there to stop him.” Kain spotted ominous red smudges over the obsidian-tiled floor, and he could only guess what it was. Cal began to walk out of the room. “I’m sending you back in a week. Fail again, and you know very well what I’ll do to you.” Then the door slammed shut behind him. Days passed, and Kain’s health was back. He spent most of his time in the training center, throwing knives at targets across a long space. Wing and leg exercises were also must. Cal decided to visit him a few other times, usually staying silent and leaning on the doorframe of the room, watching Kain with sharply intrigued electric sea-green eyes. Then, when the time came to go back, Leukos called for peaceful meeting in her palace in Adytum to negotiate alternatives to fighting and killing in the war with The Empire and The Rebellion. 17 government officials were called to be part of it. Among these were both Kain and Cal, of course. Before they set off to Adytum, Cal pulled Kain aside sharply as they began to leave. He told him that Kain was meant to follow the dragon he’s been previously assigned to kill if he ever walked off on his own, and take the chance to eliminate him if he ever faltered. Kain, who hesitated at first, hurriedly accepted when Cal’s claws came up and met his artery. As a result, Cal had smiled dangerously, turned away, and flew to catch up with the others. Kain followed in his wake. When they arrived and Kain, Cal, and the other 15 dragons set foot in the building, they were momentarily bedazzled by the scenery. Golden lighting illuminated the room, and a long rectangular white table made of bleached stone with rounded corners and a golden tablecloth woven with silver thread sat in the middle. White Gold plates and platters with silver utensils were aligned with the many elegant chairs that were pushed under it. The floor was a honey oak color, polished with wax and toped with a sun yellow carpet. It took every ounce of Kain's energy not to snap. More reasons to be jealous of The Hope. When did it ever end? After The Rebellion arrived, all three committees took their seats, the three leaders from each faction sitting in handmade thrones. Leukos's, of course, was the tallest. But the craftsmanship of the other two seats were incredible. Each side's symbol was carved into the top, and each seat was made of a corresponding material; The Hope's, quartz; The Rebellion's, redwood; The Empire's, glass-like obsidian. Each member seemed to be dressed appropriately for the occasion, for example, Leukos was adorned in a white dress dangling with rhinestones, and Cal was wearing some kind of dark purple suit with a white undershirt and a black tie. Only a few members of The Rebellion were almost as raggedly dressed as Kain was. The meeting went on for about an hour, most of it being Leukos droning on about how peace was the greatest option for Pridian. but after she had finished, Jax, the leader of The Rebellion, slowly got to her feet. Her height was immense, bigger than both Cal and Leukos, almost the size of them combined. Her amber eyes burned into Cal's bright green, clear hate and disdain radiating from her like a generator. Then she turned her head slowly to Leukos. "Peace. Will never. Be an option." She hissed, smoke curling from her nostrils. Having both Sky and Night genes in her, Jax's fire was scorching hot, even if her fangs from her RainWing genes got in the way sometimes. Leukos folded her talons together and exhaled gently. "Jax. You have to understand that innocent lives are being taken away through this battle. Families are being forced to endure hardship. There are two year old dragonets out on the streets in the mainland feeding from scraps. Have you no sympathy?" The two continued bickering, and Kain found his attention drifting. His eyes fluttered sleepily, and his muscles ached. He began to fall asleep, but something caught his eye. He jolted up in his seat. Atreus was leaving the meeting, and he was being pretty inconspicuous about it. While all the attention was drawn to the arguing leaders, Kain slipped out of his seat to follow the heir out into the hall. As Atreus's tail disappeared behind a turn in the hallway, Kain made his first move into following his tracks. As he sidled out of the room, he could feel Cal's malicious, burning gaze on his back. It wasn't hard keeping up with the heir while still keeping quiet. Atreus was fast, agile, almost as skilled as himself. Perhaps his second equivalent, alongside Cal. After what seemed like a large amount of time, he followed Atreus out into another room themed shades of blue, white, black, and whatever they became when mixed. Unlike the Heir's bedroom, where Kain had launched his first assassination attempt on him, this room radiated a feeling of mourning and seriousness. Nothing comfy or cozy about it. Pictures of what Kain guessed were former leaders of The Hope were mounted on the walls. Atreus seemed to pass by all of these without a single glance, his gaze fixed on an oil-painted portrait of a dragon who looked vaguely similar to the Heir. Here, he stopped, and took a breath. From his hiding place, Kain watched as those ice blue eyes, flecked with sunset orange, shed tears. Atreus's shoulders hunched, his claws digging into the dark mahogany floor below him. Each silver drop fell onto his own talons, seeping through his claws onto the ground. the Heir let our a silent sob. Each of Kain's own pupils turned to black pinpoints. That dragon - Plutarch - was Atreus's dad. And according to the other information on the platinum label fixed below the frame, he was dead. What am I doing? A moment of painful, searing, scorching self-doubt and surprise caused Kain to accidentally brush his trembling talons over a vase that sat on a pedestal which matched the floor. He reached out desperately to catch it, but his shaking arms failed to retrieve the object. It hit the ground, and shattered into countless pieces. Atreus's head whipped toward him, his posture and expression instantly changed into one that radiated authority. Those eyes were looking into his again. "You." Kain felt his whole body shiver with fear. After he'd seen the pain that the Heir had felt, he couldn't kill him. He scrabbled and ran his talons quickly over the wall to try to find a way out without taking his eyes away from Atreus, but he was cornered. He curled his wings over his head, his shoulders vibrating intensely from the worry that one of them wouldn't come out alive. Go back. I need to go back. Can't go. I need to leave. He's me he's just like me I can't- He opened his eyes. Atreus stood over him, his eyes glistening with both tears he'd recently shed and curiosity. And maybe something else. Like hope. "I know you didn't have a choice to follow Cal." "You don't know that". His voice was shaky. He fought to keep it down. "I know I don't. But judging by your expression. I know it's true." the Heir held his silver-gray talons out to him. "I know you think you can't join us. I know you think you can't escape him. But you can. Please. With you on our side, we might just win the war. Lives are being lost- and for what? The thirst for power? The need for vengeance? I believe that if all of us stand together, against Cal, we can stop this bloodshed. You don't have to choose, but I know how you feel. I know what you want. And you just want to survive." Kain stared up into his eyes. Those eyes stared back at him. Desperation glittered in the icy depths. "Please." All of Kain's life flashed before his eyes. The Empire taking him in. Training, hiding, surviving. Cal partnering up with him to defeat Adaigo. Cal rising to power. Cal turning against him, his soul no longer redeemable from the power he'd recieved. Trying to kill Atreus. Near-death. Training again. Coming to here, experiencing this now... seeing how The Hope worked, it's clean and kind society, and momentarily residing in Adytum convinced Kain that a life as a member of The Hope would be more than he could have ever dreamed of. As long as Cal couldn't reach him, he could have a new start. A better life. Someone to rely on. Someone to... He took his talons. Almost instantly after the two locked claws, a loud boom sounded from a few rooms over. Kain and Atreus wore matching expressions of horror. Atreus turned to him frantically, both flustered and trying to regain a regal posture at the same time. "That sounded like an explosive. An Empire explosive. Did you notice any of your comra- er, former comrades carrying anything concealed? Or maybe-" "No. I don't think so. Cal explicitly told everyone to avoid bringing advanced weapons. Only knives and swords and guns allowed." Another explosion rocked the building, and a relatively dusty portrait of an older looking dragon with a cross expression fell to the floor. The two of them raced through the halls, passing plants and pottery and other unlisted objects. They burst out into the meeting hall, and gold fragments were everywhere. Plaster dust littered the long table. Both Jax's and Leukos's thrones were broken in half. Cal's dark obsidian throne still stood, though. Now taller than Leukos's stood. Glittering like black glass, The Empire's symbol shining maliciously down at them. And worst of all, the dragons were gone. Without another second wasted, they flew up into the sky. As their eyes laid on Newfound terror pulsed through them both. Adytum was on fire. Dragons of all tribes, groups, and ages were battling. Before Kain could turn to Atreus and ask for orders, the Heir had thrown himself into the sky. His talons outstretched, he tore the nearest dragon out of the sky. His pale blue eyes were cold, cold, cold. The orange bits in his irises burned like fire, frenzied with rage. Atreus's rage was overflowing to the point where he was all instinct. Every single action was done without thinking. As Kain's eyes drifted to the Heir's gun holsters, he realized only one of them held a gun. When Kain looked at Atreus's talons, they were empty as well. He looked desperately around to try and find it, but a glisten of black metal at his feet caught his eye, and he forgot to stop breathing. One of Atreus's pistols sat at his front talons, a small note written with navy colored ink on parchment taped to the barrel. Thought you might need this for the fight. ~ Atreus As the Heir became a distant speck in the sky, Kain hesitantly retreated into the shadows. It was too soon to fight. But one thought raced through his head, over and over. Picking off random dragons from the fight would be useless. No matter if he used his talons or Atreus's gun, the war would never end until Cal was gone. Kain tucked the weapon into one of the pockets in his tool belt, and, fueled by newfound energy, the tribrid burst into the sky. Narrowly avoiding a burst of fire from an individual from The Rebellion followed by a close call with a SandWing tail, he swerved around the quarreling dragons until he had an open space to fly up high and have a better view. When the air grew thin, he soared. It didn't take him long to spot Cal's unmistakable artificial dark purple scales a bit below him, glowing just slightly as the sun began to set. The leader of The Empire was sitting on an impossibly tall ledge, a halo of orange-red light from the setting sun around his head. The ledge was almost a whole half of a mile above the fight, looking down at all the dragons fighting like they were ants. Even from an awkward angle, he could tell Cal was smiling. Folding into a dive, Kain plummeted to the ledge. He set his talons lightly on the cold earth, grit seeping between his claws. Cal didn't turn around, but the corner of his mouth had turned down into a frown. "I see you didn't get rid of the heir." "He offered me hope. Unlike you ever did." Cal hissed. "We worked together to defeat Atreus. We were friends. You and I were inseparable." His good eye turned and fixed angrily on Kain. "You hurt me." "You hurt me first." Kain took a deep breath. "I'm done with your god damned antics. I'm done killing dragons to your benefit. The Empire is cruel, and I was blinded by the desperation to survive that I didn't notice how unjust it's system is. You sent me to kill a dragon who's in charge of thousands of other dragons, at such a young age. He's just our age. I'm done killing for you. You were a good dragon, Cal. We were going to run The Empire in a more peaceful way. At least that's what you said. But you were wrong. As soon as you were bathed in power, you wanted more. More and more and more until it choked you with its toxicity and you became a corrupt leader just like Adaigo. I can't be a part of it anymore. No more fighting. No more Empire." He threw his jacket to the ground. The scarlet Empire symbol patch was caught and illuminated by the eventide, but then the wind caught the leather and pulled the coat off the cliff, plummeting into the ocean. They both watched as it hit the hungry waves with a splash, and drifted below the surface. There was no sound but the wind whipping around their ears. Cal's gaze was horrified. His seafoam eyes glittered with hate, fear, and even sadness that the leader of The Empire failed to conceal. His pupils drifted from the ocean to Kain, emotions at war in his eyes. Then, with a sudden jolt, Cal roared and launched himself at Kain. Kain, who wasn't expecting the attack, lost his balance and tumbled off the cliff. The wind stung so bad. It covered his body like needles poking, probing, eating away like IceWing breath. Cal's talons ripped at his arms as he clung on. He was crying, Kain realized. Crying and losing his mind. Pouring out his fury. Then Kain remembered what was happening, and he pushed him away, Cal shooting out into open air. The gravity was indescribably strong, the two of them unable to open their wings. Kain reached out to Cal and slammed his shoulder into his stomach, and the leader cried out in pain. He felt the ribs crack beneath his elbow. The green eyes glowed with frenzied determination, hate, and sorrow. As the ground got closer and closer, they both pushed each other back and forth, trying to shove their opponent down below them to kill them with the crash that was soon to come before they died from it as well. A few seconds passed, and the ground was now and Cal had Kain's neck wrapped in his talons. He kept the former assassin below him, keeping him at an arms length so he couldn't fight back. Kain felt himself about to black out from shortage of air and the pressure of gravity bearing down on him, but a weight at one of his toolbelt satchels seemed to call to him. Reaching behind his own wing, Kain's talons shook as he felt the cold steel of the gun. He could see the fighting dragons in the distance as they fell below him. He could sense the ground was right below them. 50 feet. 40. 30. 20... The one option of ending this war ran through his head, one last time, before he wrapped his talon around the trigger. He turned his orange eyes on Cal. Cal's eyes stared back at him, and somehow, Kain could tell the leader knew what was coming. As Cal tried to pull away, Kain grabbed his wrists. "I'm sorry." And then, quicker than a viper, he pulled out the gun and fired. For barely two seconds, which felt like five times as much, Kain could see the mix of shock, sadness, disappointment, and regret painted on Cal's face. Blood seeped through his own Empire coat on the spot over his heart, and his green eyes flickered. Tears sprang to his eyes, and they ran down his cheekbones, slowly, and dripped onto Kain's own chest, as Kain and Cal both hit the ground. And everything went black. ---''Time Skip (4 Days)''--- Kain's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was blinding, bleached white. After being in a short coma, the exposure of light stung his eyes. As he waited for them to adjust, he could feel his front legs and right back leg wrapped in casts, (lorem ipsum) ---''Epilogue (3 Months Later)''--- Lorem ipsum. Trivia Lorem ipsum. *Lorem *Ipsum *. Gallery In progress. Category:Characters Category:Work In Progress Category:Hybrids Category:SandWings Category:SkyWings Category:NightWings Category:Content (Firesides) Category:LGBT+ Category:Occupation (Assassin) Category:Mature Content Category:Males